Products, services and content available from Internet service providers (ISPs) and application service providers (ASPs) have increased substantially, encouraging residential customers, businesses and organizations to upgrade their existing communication systems to handle high-speed transmission of data. Digital subscriber lines (DSLs), for example, offer data transfer rates of approximately eight million bits per second, downstream, and somewhat fewer bits per second upstream, to the service provider.
DSLs frequently use existing copper wires from the telephone company's distribution system to the subscriber's premises, for the communication of high-speed digital signals. Equipment and components are added to the customer's premises to allow for this upgrade of service. To some extent, DSL installation allows for the reuse of existing equipment and components for the receipt and distribution of signals throughout the premises.